As more and more people stuck at home turn to online shopping, Jeff Bezos’ wealth increased by 6.8 billion last week. Meanwhile, in the same span of time, nearly 1 million brick-and-mortar retail employees were furloughed and 16 million Americans have filed for unemployment.
Of course, a pandemic is on, and every public space represents heightened risk, particularly for the most vulnerable among us. For many, ordering groceries and staples online is not a choice but a necessity. Yet it’s hard not to notice that the conditions are darkly auspicious for Amazon’s already near-total influence to loom all the more dominant in our uncertain future.
Meanwhile, though they are declared essential businesses, repair shops are in no way ensured a place in that future. But many in our community are finding creative ways to adapt – fighting to keep their doors open, their customers safe, and their businesses afloat into whatever world comes next.
At present, the line between the dollars we spend and the type of society we are investing in feels particularly bright. The shops we support, the communities we foster, the relationships we build right now will be the building blocks of our post-pandemic world. What that world will look like depends in large part, quite literally, on where we place value during this time.
Julie Derrick of JD’s Shoes in the Kenton neighborhood is open for business. She’s modified her intake process for the safety of her customers and employees – offering pickup service, accepting curbside dropoffs, and providing over-the-phone consultation.
While deeply worried about the future of repair shops in Portland, JD is determined to keep her business going now and in the future. The building used to be a general store, and she hopes her shop fosters a similar spirit: “Like having a community center, where you exchange information and ideas and learn. Not just a place where you buy stuff. There’s more to it. And I really like that. I’m going to live here and run my business here for a long time. So I want this physical space to be like that again – like it exists in my imagination.”
Repair is an essential service, but it is also more than the sum of its parts. Beyond strengthening the local web of knowledge and resources, there is a sharing of community that lives at the core of repair work. Repair – whether it’s your shoes, your phone, your fridge, or your lawnmower – is almost always done locally. It’s most often done in your neighborhood, by your neighbor. And in this time of reflecting on how to bolster our community and support one another, that’s something worth remembering.
We at PRF have been taking inventory of what we’ve got that needs fixing, and last week, we dropped off a few pairs of shoes for JD to work her magic on. One pair needs a sole freshen-up, one needs some stretching through the toes and new laces, and one has a persistent squeak.
JD is happy to talk in detail over the phone about whatever your shoes may need. She even will come pick up a bag of your shoes from the porch of your home, then call you to let you know what can be done for each pair. Even a cheap pair of shoes, she says, can go through a couple of rounds of repairs before their time with you is through.
As individuals, we don’t have much choice as to which corporations our government deems worthy of a bailout, or who in our communities will receive a small business loan. Right now, many of us don’t have the luxury of any choice, and the workings of our own lives can seem insurmountable. With so much unemployment, so little assistance available, and the very real fear of contracting COVID-19, meeting even basic needs becomes a big challenge.
But those with continuing means – paychecks or safety nets – must think deeply about the choices at hand, and what type of world they will choose to underscore with that bright line. Choosing to support businesses like JD’s will help to ensure her necessary presence in a world beyond this moment. Now, perhaps more than any other time, we need to look around us and decide what we want our future to look like.
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- JD’s Shoes is open for business. Email at jdshoerepair@gmail.com, phone at 503-287-7078, text at 503-504-1978, message directly on Facebook or Instagram.
- Check out this incredible list of which bike shops are open in Portland.
- We will continue our documentation of repair businesses adapting during the pandemic, including mending some clothes with Hidden Opulence and healing some hard drives with Bridgetown Electronics Repair.
- Many businesses are open, but Google doesn’t have all the answers in this ever-changing environment. When it comes to determining whether a shop is accepting business, reaching out directly is your best bet. Emails are good, phone calls are better. If you have a repair but don’t even know where to start in finding a business, reach out to PRF, here or on social media, and we will help you figure it out
- Finally, if you are a repair professional working through this time, or know of one, we would love to hear from you!